She instinctively lifted her legs and ran outward, but the long corridor seemed endless. Infinite darkness shrouded everything, and panic began to rise in her heart.
Everyone feared what darkness concealed. Especially after electromagnetic waves interfered with their ability to think, that fear would be instinctively magnified.
Yet as her body temperature gradually drained away, her ability to move declined.
Even though running generated heat, the act of running made her feel an extreme cold.
Driven by biological instinct, she began to slow her pace. The cold was even more terrifying than the darkness.
That was the consequence of having one's thoughts disrupted. She could not realize at all that this was slow suicide.
Thus, the most terrifying thing about Vill-V's Abyss was that it turned anyone into an animal driven only by instinct.
She wandered aimlessly, feeling as though the end would never come.
This was the Abyss.
A prison that trapped people within forever.
Even if Vill-V possessed an extraordinary mind and abundant prison-break experience, those experiences could not be etched into biological genes. That made them utterly useless.
The fear in her heart kept growing, while her body temperature continued to fall.
At last, Vill-V could no longer endure it and collapsed onto the ground.
The red light for Abyss No. 512 lit up, and Chen Ran hurriedly shut down the mechanism.
Then, an indescribably complicated look appeared in his eyes.
Vill-V had been less than a meter from the exit.
"Are you all right?"
Chen Ran instinctively supported her. Finding that her body was as cold as an ice sculpture, he did not hesitate before hurriedly putting his own clothes on her and holding her in his arms so her body would stop losing heat.
After a long while, Vill-V gradually regained consciousness.
However, the fear of darkness and cold seemed to have taken root in her heart, impossible to shake off.
She looked at Chen Ran's face and said, "Don't move."
Before Chen Ran could react, Vill-V pressed down his head and kissed him.
He felt her fiery aggression and could only feel his mind go blank.
There was no tenderness, nor was there any ambiguity.
She did it only because she wanted to use something more intense to drive away that fear—an instinctive action born from it.
Vill-V was an expert at deceiving hearts, so she knew how terrifying it was when fear took root within someone. Only this could quickly erase her previous experience.
As for Chen Ran's thoughts, they were not part of Vill-V's calculations.
At worst, she could compensate him afterward. Vill-V had always advocated equality.
PS.
Recommended book:
"Arknights Peach Simulator? I Just Want to See Blood Flow Like Rivers!"
A pretty good Arknights fanfic. I've already added it to my bookshelf and turned on automatic subscriptions. 4
Competitors Separated by Fifty Thousand Years Meet
Even after returning to the dormitory, Chen Ran's head was still buzzing.
Flame-Chaser was a very complicated place, so he did not think this was Vill-V showing goodwill or affection. To put it simply: in this era, who among those who joined Flame-Chaser did not have some kind of mental illness?
Therefore, trying to judge Vill-V by the behavior of ordinary girls was a thankless and difficult task.
But...
Pretending that nothing had happened was asking too much of him.
So, after Vill-V had bounced back to her usual lively self, he ran away immediately.
Well, people with normal personalities really were not suited for Flame-Chaser.
Chen Ran could not help looking at Kevin, who had just finished training.
Kevin stretched his waist and said, "I already heard from Blanca. You'll be coming directly to First Squad tomorrow, and I happen to be responsible for showing you around."
"Then I'll have to trouble you."
Chen Ran sighed. "I didn't expect that in only two months, you'd already surpassed Instructor Elysia."
"Flame-Chaser's medicine is good. If you keep using it, you'll have a chance too." Kevin paused, then realized that something seemed off about Chen Ran's mood.
He asked curiously, "What is it? Worried about training? Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."
Chen Ran said weakly, "Kevin, do you still have your first kiss?"
The big boy could not help freezing. "First kiss? Why are you asking that? Don't tell me you have feelings for me."
He said, "I'm warning you, I'm completely devoted to Mei."
"Tch, fine." Chen Ran said, "Today, I... Forget it. Saying it would be disrespecting someone's privacy, so I'd better not."
He had wanted to have a proper talk with Kevin and vent some of his frustration along the way.
But Chen Ran belatedly remembered that this was Flame-Chaser.
Perhaps because he had spent too long in simulations, he held no real awe toward this organization. Yet the words Flame-Chaser represented treacherous political struggles, endless schemes, and tangled, complicated human hearts.
Although Kevin was trustworthy, Chen Ran could not casually reveal Vill-V's private matters.
Simply put: if he spilled Vill-V's secrets to Kevin, what would Kevin think?
Would he become wary of Chen Ran?
This was no longer high school or university, where laughing and joking together could build a decent friendship. Everyone was realistic, and no one would tolerate others making mistakes.
That was the downside of simulating for too long.
Even if No. 666 could synchronize memories with him, that did not mean No. 666's reasoning and behavioral logic during his time in Flame-Chaser would synchronize as well.
In other words, he only knew what No. 666 had done, but not why No. 666 had done it.
He lacked awe.
Awe toward Flame-Chaser, and awe toward the entire apocalypse.
Perhaps I should properly adjust my mindset. I can't keep focusing solely on simulations during this period.
There was certainly nothing wrong with relying on the system for rewards. Simulating as soon as the cooldown ended was the most profitable course of action.
But he felt that when a simulation ended, he needed to have thoughts of his own.
Or rather, the system should only be a tool. It could not control all of his thinking.
It was time to cool down his restless heart.
Chen Ran had not been simulating all the time. It was simply that whenever the system could not simulate, he had been at the First Research Institute, and his understanding of the organization remained rather naïve.
Therefore, returning to First Squad this time was an opportunity to experience Flame-Chaser anew.
--
World Serpent, Elysian Realm.
Wendy gradually became accustomed to living in the Elysian Realm, searching for answers among fragmented pieces of information.
The people she met were either cryptic riddlers or neurotic lunatics.
Or perhaps they were cryptic riddlers and neurotic lunatics combined.
Though she had only met a few people, she felt that Chen Ran's life in that organization could not have been easy.
What had turned those people into what they were? Honkai?
Still, thanks to Elysia, an image of Chen Ran slowly came together in her mind:
A warrior of the Pre-Civilization Era, who later transferred to the First Research Institute and became Mobius's assistant, working alongside Klein for a time. After that, he and Kevin led humanity to victory in every battle.
But he died after the final battle.
He vanished upon the moon.
That was a perfectly ordinary image, if not for the Chen Ran in her memories.
But now, it seemed that Chen Ran, just like every Flame-Chaser she had encountered, had his own secrets. More importantly, there was no memory crystal of Chen Ran anywhere in the Elysian Realm.
According to Elysia, Chen Ran had refused when the group known as the Flame-Chasers was formed.
Even Kevin, who had a fairly good relationship with him, did not know the reason. Still, no one tried to persuade Chen Ran because of it.
For people of that era, persuasion was a form of arrogance.
However, after coming to the Elysian Realm, Wendy had also learned not to listen to only one side of a story.
So she decided to find more people and learn more about Chen Ran.
Then, she encountered a masked man with a terrible temper.
"Oh? A Herrscher? What a rare guest."
The masked man's voice was like burning flames as he said, "Use your methods and battle me to the death!"
Wendy was somewhat annoyed. "Fine. I won't lose to you either."
She had never been stingy when it came to fighting. Especially after the succession of experiences she had endured lately, her emotions were already on the verge of losing control.
Kalpas's words suited her perfectly. She also wanted a satisfying battle.
That day, flames and storms intertwined throughout the vast Elysian Realm. Pardofelis, along with Can, hid behind Elysia and trembled, while Eden and Hua were likewise curious about the newly arrived visitor.
Even Mobius came out.
"Oh my, this visitor has actually caused such a commotion. Though considering that her opponent is Kalpas, it seems perfectly natural."
Mobius's voice carried a hint of laziness. "Let me guess. How long can this visitor hold out? One minute? Five minutes?"
Beside her, Elysia's eyes held a trace of mischief. "Oh my, isn't this Dr. Mobius? Compared to Kalpas, I'd rather have you guess this visitor's identity. You'll definitely be surprised by who she is."
Mobius clicked her tongue. "No matter who she is, she'll eventually find her way to me. I have no interest in the names of little lab rats."
Just then, the sounds of battle gradually ceased.
Wendy's face was slightly pale as she returned to the lounge in poor condition.
"Mm-hm? Oh, Wendy, you're back?"
Elysia smilingly took her hand and said, "Well? Didn't I tell you that Kalpas is actually very easy to communicate with? As long as you can satisfy him, he can satisfy you too."
Wendy could not help saying, "Really? It's just that the way he satisfies people is a little too strange..."
Her voice abruptly stopped.
Because an uncertain, shadowy gaze had fixed on her body. It was like the gaze of a venomous snake, making her instinctively shudder.
Though she did not know who she was, Wendy instinctively felt that she was dangerous.
Even more dangerous than Kalpas had been just now.
"Wendy."
A trace of madness appeared in Mobius's eyes. "Tch, this really is unexpected."
The Fourth Honkai War
Chen Ran began adapting to life in First Squad.
Simulations were important, but the current situation was not the most important thing.
He had to adapt to life here.
Thus, Chen Ran's wails echoed through First Squad once more.
"Kevin, are you sure this counts as taking care of me?"
Looking at the training equipment before him and the training tasks he had to complete, he could not help twitching his lips.
Before you continue